Ephesians 4:23-24 (NKJV) And be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Paul is saying that one should no longer walk in the futility of the mind, being darkened in understanding which is excluded from the life of God because of ignorance and hardness of their heart.
Romans 12:2 (NKJV) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
If anyone chooses to walk in the ways of the world that is influenced by the prince of the power of the air, he will suffer like the people of the world. We need to renew our mind with the word of God just like what we are doing today in regards to the new creation. We should no longer conform to the values of this world but live a consecrated life the moment we are born again. We should not continue to dwell or live among the activities that belong to the darkness. Instead, we should begin to put God and family as top priorities in our lives.
The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and He will not force us to do anything we do not want to do. God has already given us the ability and the power to have a successful life. All we have to do is to walk and act on it. Will you? The key is in the willingness!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB) Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
2 Peter 1:3-4 (NASB) Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
This scripture tells us to put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. We are a new creation and have the nature of God living on the inside of us and we have it. We just need to live out the inner life with the help of the Holy Spirit. We need to see ourselves as God sees us as holy and righteous so that we will consciously walk out based on whom we really are on the inside!
God’s divine power enabled us to be born again and created a new creation in the spirit man. The spirit man, inner man or the heart is completely new! We have a new identity in Christ and it helps us to feel secure in Him. It helps us to pray effectively and being conscious of the full armor of God helps. This new creation is led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. This is what God expects of us to live so that we take hold of what He has given us and empowered us with to experience the life of God.
The flesh, the devil, and the mind that is not renewed by the Word, hinder us from living out God’s best for our lives. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity. He is holy, therefore, He can be easily grieved by ungodliness and the ways of the flesh and the work of the devil. He is sensitive because He hates sin, discord and falsehood.
Galatians 6:8 (NKJV) For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
The victory in our daily living is very much determined by what we choose to yield to. If we choose to sow to our flesh, we will reap corruption. However, if we yield ourselves to the will of the Spirit, we will reap everlasting life. Let’s choose not to grieve the Holy Spirit but yield to Him instead so that we will experience the victorious life that God has given us!
Sermon series: Inner man
基督里新造的人
以弗所书 4:23-24 又要将你们的心志改换一新，并且穿上新人，这新人是照着神的形象造的，有真理的仁义和圣洁。
保罗说，一个人不应该继续因为心的无知和刚硬，继续活在没有神的生命，心灵徒劳和悟性暗昧。
罗马书 12:2 不要效法这个世界，只要心意更新而变化，叫你们察验何为神的善良、纯全、可喜悦的旨意。
如果有人选择随从今世的风俗，顺服空中掌权者的首领，他就会像世上的人一样受苦。我们需要用神的话语更新我们的心思意念，就像我们今天为新造的人所做的一样。我们不应该再顺应这个世界的价值，而应在重生的那一刻过上分别为圣的生活。我们不应继续生活在属于黑暗的行为之中。相反，我们应该开始让上帝和家庭在我们生活中成为最重要的优先级。
圣灵是个绅士，祂不会强迫我们做任何我们不想做的事。神已经给了我们成功生活的能力和力量。我们所要做的就是活在其中。你会如此做吗？关键在于意愿的心！
哥林多后书 5:17 若有人在基督里，他就是新造的人，旧事已过，都变成新的了。
彼得后书 1:3-4 神的神能已将一切关乎生命和虔敬的事赐给我们，皆因我们认识那用自己荣耀和美德召我们的主。因此，他已将又宝贵又极大的应许赐给我们，叫我们既脱离世上从情欲来的败坏，就得与神的性情有份。
经文告诉我们要穿戴上那在公义和圣洁的真理中照着神所造的新人。我们是新造的人，有神的性情在我们里面，我们拥有这性情。我们只需要在圣灵的帮助下，活出内在的生命。我们需要像神视我们为圣洁和公义那样看待自己，这样我们就会有意识地活出那内在人的生命！
上帝神圣的力量使我们重生，在灵里有了新造的人。灵里的人，内在的人和心是全新的！我们在基督里有一个新的身份，这帮助我们在祂那里得到平安。这帮助我们有效地祷告，并意识到拥有神的全副军装是有帮助的。这一新造的人是由圣灵带领并赋予力量的。这是神对我们的期望，使我们抓住祂赐给我们的，并使我们有能力经历神的生命。
肉体，魔鬼，以及没有按神的话语更新的心思意念，阻碍了我们活出神所预备最好的生命。圣灵是三位一体的第三个人。祂是圣洁的，因此，祂很容易因不敬虔、肉体的私欲和魔鬼的工作而为我们担忧。祂对这些很敏感，因为祂憎恶罪、不和及虚伪。
加拉太书 6:8 顺着情欲撒种的，必从情欲收败坏；顺着圣灵撒种的，必从圣灵收永生。
我们日常生活中的胜利取决于我们选择顺服于什么。如果我们选择顺着情欲撒种，我们将收获败坏。然而，如果我们顺服于圣灵的旨意，我们将收获永生。让我们选择不让圣灵担忧，而是顺服于祂，这样我们就会体验到神赐予我们的得胜的生命！
讲章系列: 内在的人
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